Inside Asher Keddie's home renovation from hell - as the Logie-winning actress and her artist husband are forced to cough up more than 100k after ugly legal battle

Daily Mail​

18-05-2025

Asher Keddie and her husband Vincent Fantauzzo are embroiled in a battle with a builder who was tasked with renovating their Melbourne home.
The multiple Logie winning actress and the acclaimed artist hired the builder to work on their the Black Rock property but refused 'to pay the bulk of their final invoice' the Herald Sun reported on Sunday, after the $650,000 home makeover spiralled into an ugly legal war.
The high profile pair this month agreed to pay out the $108,000 they owe to Brighton builder First Ave Homes as part of a settlement between the parties.
The settlement was agreed upon during a compulsory conference overseen by a tribunal member and closed to the public.
The couple 'took the bizarre step of breaking into the home before handover, moving in, and changing the locks, effectively locking the builder out' according to documents filed with the tribunal, the Herald Sun reported.
Keddie and Fantauzzo claimed they were left with no choice due to their rental lease at a second property ending.
The couple had additionally claimed the builder was only entitled to part of the invoice, alleging that they had been overcharged and double billed for certain items, left out of pocket over delays and charged for changes to the project made without approval. First Ave Homes has denied those claims.
They also accused First Ave Homes of deliberately delaying the project to 'extract payments' - a claim the builder strongly denied.
A $56,000 counterclaim from First Ave Homes has been dropped as part of the terms of the settlement.
The three bedroom, two bathroom and two garage 'mid-century showpiece' home was sold for $2.46 million in February.
A real estate listing for the property described it as 'meticulously enhanced and respectfully renovated to create a sanctuary of indulgent luxury and sophistication.'
It adds that the house is, 'exceptionally curated throughout with a rare commitment to excellence'.
Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Asher Keddie for comment.
Keddie and Fantauzzo have since relocated to another home in Melbourne's St Kilda, where they were the victims of a break-in late last year.
The high profile pair this month agreed to pay out the $108,000 they owe to Brighton builder First Ave Homes as part of a settlement between the parties
A real estate listing for the property described it as 'meticulously enhanced and respectfully renovated to create a sanctuary of indulgent luxury and sophistication'
In March, a man admitted breaking into the home of the television star before being tackled by her husband while attempting to steal a motorbike.
James Powell, 44, had already spent 234 days behind bars on remand awaiting his hearing over the shocking incident.
He pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court to a swag of dishonesty offences, including his raid on the Keddie property just days after Christmas last year.
Appearing in court via videolink from prison, the court heard Powell was spotted by Keddie as he removed her husband Fantauzzo's Ducati.
Her screams caused Fantauzzo, 48, to spring into action, sparking a scuffle outside the front of their house.
The court heard Powell hit Fantauzzo in the head as he tried to break free.
A passer-by helped Fantauzzo subdue the drug-addled thief, who then lapsed into unconsciousness from a suspected drug overdose.
Powell was taken by ambulance to The Alfred hospital before being charged over the home invasion.
Neither Keddie or Fantauzzo were in court to watch the intruder face justice, nor was a victim impact statement read to the court on their behalf.
Powell also pleaded guilty to attacking his former partner, whom he attempted to force into the boot of his car during a domestic incident.
'We've got a kid together,' she was heard pleading as Powell insisted she get into the boot.
Powell also admitted to stealing bike accessories from another inner-city apartment complex during an earlier raid in September.
The court heard Powell had a lengthy criminal history.
Powell was bailed in April.
He appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link from Ravenhall Corrections Centre where he was bailed by Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano.
The magistrate imposed strict bail conditions, including living at his mother's Altona address and not leaving the state or contacting any prosecution witnesses.
The robbery at the Keddie home made national headlines at the time.
Keddie met her husband in 2012 when Fantauzzo asked to paint a portrait of her and they wed in a beachside ceremony on Fiji's Turtle Island in April 2014.
The couple share Valentino, nine, and Mr Fantauzzo's 14-year-old son, Luca, from a previous marriage.
Fantauzzo is a world-renowned artist who has won the Archibald Prize's People's Choice Award four times and painted former prime minister Julia Gillard's official portrait on display in parliament house.
Keddie, 50, is best known for her role in Australian drama Offspring where she won the Gold Logie and has won the Most Popular Actress Logie five times in a row.
Asher, meanwhile, is a multiple Logie-winning actress, nabbing a Gold Logie in 2013 for her breakout role as Dr Nina Proudman in Offspring.
She was also awarded a Most Popular Actress Logie five times in a row from 2011 to 2015.
Most recently Asker was nominated or a Gold Logie in 2024 for her portrayal of Evelyn Jones in the BINGE series Strife.